Page 47 of Flirting With My Brother's Billionaire Best Friend

“I was thinking tomorrow night. School starts back up on Monday, and this could be a fun way to finish off his spring break.” I love how he invited Jenni along. I glance over at her. “Would you like to come with us?”

She glows at the invitation. “I’d love to. That sounds really fun.”

And now it feels like we’re about to be one big happy family, and I can’t help the way it’s making my heart grow warm. I’m falling more for this woman every day but acting like we’re a family has it on a whole other level.

* * *

Friday night, we set out on horseback to the campsite. Our favorite place to go camping is way back on my parents’ land, about a mile’s ride. We’ve packed all our supplies onto the horses.

“Is this how the cowboys did it back in the day?” Hayden asks just after we’ve taken off down the trail. The trees are just starting to get their leaves, and it’s warmer today than it’s been lately.

“I’m sure there are still cowboys camping this way. Just look at us,” I point out. “We count as cowboys, right?”

Jenni looks over at us and smiles. “All you have to do is wear a cowboy hat, and it magically makes you a cowboy. Didn’t you know that?”

I laugh. “Well, technically, a cowboy is someone who rides in a rodeo or works at a ranch herding cattle. But we’ve gotten a little looser with the terminology over the years. But all good cowboys are kind to others and work hard. We can get the job done, no matter how hard it may be.”

“And love riding horses,” Hayden says. “Have you ever had cows, Dad?”

My heart still does funny things in my chest when he calls me that. I know I’ll get used to it eventually, but it’s still shiny and new. “I had some old dairy cows when I was younger. They were my parents’, but they haven’t had any in a while. These days, we’re all about the horses.”

“Remember Betsy, the old cranky milk cow your parents had when we were kids?” Jenni asked.

“Oh, she wasn’t cranky. She was sweet.”

“That’s not how I remember it,” Jenni says. “I got kicked more than once when I tried to milk her.”

“Usually, we let the machines milk her, but you insisted on trying it by hand right after she’d had a calf,” I remind her. “A cow who’s used to the machines will freak out if you try to milk her by hand,” I explain to Hayden.

“Then why did your parents let you milk her by hand?” Hayden asks.

“Well…” How do I tell my kid about how I was sneaky and didn’t let them know Jenni and I were milking cows without permission?

Jenni and I lock gazes and a small smile flits across her face. “She was cranky more than once,” Jenni insists, changing the subject. “It was all the time.”

“Nah,” I say. “Only during her time of the month.”

Jenni laughs, but Hayden looks over with a confused expression. “What time of the month?”

Heat creeps across my face. Did I just bring up this topic in front of my son? “You know, the birds and the bees?” His mom gave him that talk, right? Wait, he’s only eight. Some kids get that talk when they’re older. First, I almost tell him how I got into trouble as a kid, and now this?

Hayden looks even more confused. “What do birds and bees have to do with the cow?”

Jenni can’t hold her laughter back anymore. “Yeah, Langston. Why don’t you explain all of this to Hayden?”

I’m in deep doo-doo now. “I, uh, well…”

Jenni enjoys my floundering a minute longer before coming to the rescue. “You’ll have to ask your mom about it when we get back.”

“Okay.” And by the determined look on his face, I don’t doubt that he’ll be having that conversation.

Before long, we arrive at the campsite, and I swing down from Dash’s back. Hayden wriggles in his saddle like he’s trying to figure out how to get down.

“Hold on there, buddy. Let me help you.” I lift him out of his saddle and gently ease him to the ground. A wave of protectiveness comes over me, and it hits me that I’d do anything for this boy. I haven’t really held him like this before. Well, I did when I helped him on and off of the horses before, but this is the first time I’ve really felt this protectiveness. He’s small and needs a dad in his life, something that every kid needs. And I haven’t been able to be there for him before this, but now I promise myself that I’ll always be there for him from now on. I don’t care how demanding work may become. This boy will be my top priority.

We tie Marshmallow, Dash, and Daisy up to some trees and get busy unloading our gear.

“Want to help me set up the tent?” I ask Hayden.

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